Improvement in cartridge-case cleaners



F. H. AIKEN.

Cartridge-Case Ceaner.

Patented lJune 8, 1869.

@initrd tats-,

@anni dtjlliraf Letters Patent No. 91,058, dated .Time 8, 1869.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all persons to whomV these presents may come Be it known that I, FRANK H. AIKnN, of Franklin, of the county of Merrimack, andv State of New Hampshire, have made a new and useful Invention for the Purpose of Removing Spent Caps or Primers from an Exploded Cartridge-Shell, and also for cleansing the latter more or less; and I do hereby declare the same to be f ully described in the following specification, and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure l represents a section of the plunger or capremover and its guide and shell-cleaner, as applied to a cartridge-shell. l

Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same.

Figure 3 is an end view of the said plunger, with its cap-discharger and annular stop, and their concentric chamber or recess.

Figure 4 is an end view of a cartridge-shell.

The shell Ajhas a round chamber, a, in its head.

A hollow conical'nipple, b,'projects from the base of the chamber, through which are one or more small holes, b, to lead into the charge ofthe shell, the llame created by the explosion of a percussion-cap, when placed in the chamber.

The cap, formed as represented in section in fig. 5, when used, ts into the chamber.

During an explosion of the priming, the cap is liable to be expanded by it, so as to render it difficult to be readily removed from the chamber.

Furthermore, it is desirable to cleanse the cartridgeshell o f the carbonaceous matter which may adhere to its inner surface after explosion of a charge.

' This 'may be accomplished in a measure, if not entirely, by my invention.

In the-drawingsg B denotes a tube, open at one end and closed at the other, except in having a round hole, c, made through such endl-concentrically with it.

This hole c is for the reception of the stem d of a cylindrical plunger, O, whose external diameter correspends with the internal diameter of the tube B.

The rear end of the stem has a knob or handle, e. 'Ihe front end of the plunger has a circular recess or chamber, f, made in it.

y From the central part of the bottom of the said recess, a tapering point, g, is projected, in manner as represented. This point extends a short distance beyond the plane of the outer end of the plunger.

xIn order to use'the implement, we iirst push the guide-tube or cleanser B into the spent cartridge-shell,

-which it is to be supposed to lit rather closely.

After having crowded it down to the bottom of the shell, we next press the plunger downward, so as to cause the point g to pass through the nipple and into and, against the cap, in a manner to force the latter more or less out ofit-s chamber, the end of the plunger bringing up against the head of the shell and stopping the point from going further into the nipple. Thus the end of the plunger' .serves to prevent the point from expanding ordoing injury'to the nipple. l The chamber iu the end of the plunger and about the nipple suiices to receive the projection h, containing the nipple-chamber, and also to collect and receive any dirt or carbon which may be scraped from the inner surface of the shell by the cleaning-tube, such deposits in the chamber being subsequently discharged ii'om it by turning the plunger end downward after its withdrawal from the shell.

The plunger may be employed Without the ,outer tube, but in'this case yit is not liable to operate so well, as the outer tube answers to keep it clean and to aid in neutralizing and guiding it in the shell, so as to' cause the point to properly enter and pass through the nipple.

I claim the plunger as made with the dischargingpoint and the circumscribing chamber, arranged with respect to the adjacent end ofthe plunger,iu manner substantially as specified;

And in combination with the plunger so made, I claim the guide and cleansing-tube, applied to it in manner and so as to operate with it, substantially as K described.

F. H. l AIKEN.

lVitnesscs l HERMAN E. FAY,

lJ. E. MORRILL. 

